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Transition of power

One of the things that makes American democracy unique took place at the Fort Dodge Municipal Building Friday morning. There, in a brief ceremony, a peaceful and seamless transition of authority occurred when a new mayor, three new members of the City Council and three reelected council members were sworn into office by Magistrate Neven Conrad. The new mayor is Dave Flattery, a veteran of 18 years on the council. The new council members are Scott Davis and Terry Moehnke, who hold at-large seats, and Todd McCubbin, who represents Ward 3. Moehnke is actually returning to the council ...

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2026

Soon, we will welcome in a new year. Tonight, no doubt many readers will stay home, joining the ranks of those sitting on the couch, counting down the final moments of 2025 while participating vicariously in the festivities broadcast from Times Square in New York City. Others will celebrate the passing of another year by making merry until the wee hours of the new year. And yet others will let the new year come in just as they let each new day, week or month arrive — snugly tucked into bed getting some sleep. There is no right or wrong way to mark the arrival of another year. ...

Enjoy a festive holiday season

It is that time of year when holiday parties pile up one after the other over the course of a few days — and many of them are held after dark and feature alcoholic beverages. Everyone wants to get to and from all these gatherings safely. No one wants to be added to the grim table of statistics compiled by the Iowa Department of Transportation which records all of the deaths resulting from traffic accidents. The good news is that 2025 has been a comparatively safe one on Iowa’s roads. For the first time in a century, the state is on track to conclude a year with less than 300 ...

FDCSD moves to reach students who don’t speak fluent English

While debate and even controversy goes on nationwide about immigration, locally there is a fact that must be recognized. The reality is that there are students in the Fort Dodge Community School District, regardless of where they were born, who do not speak English fluently or don’t speak it at all. And it is also a fact that the school district remains responsible for educating those students. Teachers and school administrators have wrestled with the challenge of how to break through the language barrier so that those students can learn what they need to know to become productive ...

Silent night, holy night …

All across the nation, a feeling of anticipation is in the air. It is Christmas Eve, a time when those whose jobs do not demand that they be at work complete preparations for Christmas, the biggest day on most of our calendars. Once the packages are all wrapped, the last decorations are adjusted on Christmas trees, cookies are taken out of the oven and, perhaps, a turkey begins cooking, a time of peace descends upon many of us. Weary from the hustle and bustle of the holidays, we relax for a few moments. Many of us go to evening church services, where “Joy to the World” comes ...

Choose Iowa promotes high quality food, drink from our state

People across the United States increasingly want to know where their food comes from. It just makes sense to know where something you put in your body comes from. And a problem like the recent scare over the possibility of tiny pieces of metal getting into shredded cheese only adds urgency to the desire for knowledge. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has a relatively new program that lets consumers know when they are getting wholesome food from our state. It’s called Choose Iowa. The distinctive Choose Iowa logo on a package, bag or bottle means the food ...